Frazier announced his retirement from professional baseball Tuesday, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.
After being selected by the Reds with the 34th overall pick in the 2007 first-year player draft, Frazier reached the majors with Cincinnati for the first time in 2011 and proceeded to spend parts of 11 seasons in the big leagues. A two-time All-Star with the Reds, Frazier also had stints with the White Sox, Yankees, Mets, Rangers and Pirates and produced a .241 lifetime average to go with 218 home runs and 73 stolen bases across his six MLB stops. After his time with the Pirates ended last May, Frazier joined the United States team for the Summer Olympics and helped lead Team USA to a silver medal in Tokyo.
Frazier signed a contract with the independent Sussex County Miners on Thursday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
The 35-year-old recently played for Team USA in the Olympic qualifiers after parting ways with Pittsburgh in mid-May, and he'll now continue his career in independent ball. Frazier struggled during his time with the Pirates, going 3-for-35 in 13 games.
Frazier elected free agency after being designated for assignment Monday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Frazier opted for free agency rather than accepting an assignment to Triple-A Indianapolis. He'll search for a deal with another team, though he's struggled to a .086/.200/.114 line across 40 plate appearances this season and is nearing the end of his career.
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Pirates' Todd Frazier: Time in Pittsburgh over
Rotowire
The Pirates designated Frazier for assignment Monday.
Pittsburgh booted Frazier off the 40-man roster to make room for outfielder Ben Gamel, who was claimed off waivers from Cleveland. Over his 13 games with the Pirates, Frazier went 3-for-35 (.086 average) with no home runs. The 35-year-old's time in the big leagues looks like it could be nearing an end.
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Pirates' Todd Frazier: Collects two hits in victory
Rotowire
Frazier went 2-for-4 in Sunday's 6-5 win against the Cubs.
The 35-year-old has struggled with his timing at the plate. He's now 5-for-35 in 2021, but Sunday's showing figures to keep him in the lineup with Colin Moran (groin) out for the next couple weeks. Frazier inexplicably took his foot off of first base while covering on a routine ground ball to second base, but the gaffe didn't cost his team. Manager Derek Shelton told 93.7 The Fan on Sunday that Phillip Evans and even Erik Gonzalez could also see time at first base.
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Pirates' Todd Frazier: Playing time opens up
Rotowire
Frazier should see increased playing time at first base after Colin Moran (groin) was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.
Moran exited Saturday's contest with the groin issue and will now be sidelined at least 10 days, opening up the starting spot at first base. Frazier has only one hit through his first 31 at-bats of the season, so it could be a brief opportunity if he's unable to get things going offensively.
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Pirates' Todd Frazier: Gets second start in May
Rotowire
Frazier will start at third base and bat seventh Friday against the Cubs.
The 35-year-old has struggled since joining the team, going 3-for-23 with a 3:5 BB:K. Frazier has just one extra-base hit, a double, and will need to show more to stay on the roster. He's hitless in six career at-bats against Friday starter, Trevor Williams.
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Pirates' Todd Frazier: Ends slump, reaches base thrice
Rotowire
Frazier went 1-for-3 with a double, two RBI, a run scored and two walks in Wednesday's loss against the Royals.
Frazier started the season 0-for-14 through his first four games and was benched Tuesday, but he emerged from the day off with his first hit in the form of a two-run double in the bottom of the fifth. The veteran doesn't appear ticketed for a big role following his slow start to the campaign, however, and his opportunities -- particularly in NL parks -- might be limited going forward.
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Pirates' Todd Frazier: Moves into bench role
Rotowire
Frazier is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Royals in Pittsburgh, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
After being added to the active roster Thursday, Frazier was able to pick up four consecutive starts in American League parks thanks to the Pirates having the designated hitter available. He failed to capitalize on the steady at-bats, going 0-for-14 with four strikeouts. With the Pirates beginning a five-game homestand Tuesday, Frazier's opportunities will likely be more limited moving forward.
